Multiple-lever hinge



W. L. EVANS, JR.

MULTIPLE LEVER HINGE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 15. 1917.

1,367,954. Patented Feb. 8,1921.

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WITNESSES w BY n ATTOR N EY W. LTEVANS, 1n.

MULTIPLELEVER HINGE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV-16., 1911.

1,367,954. Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

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WITN ESSES ATTORNEY W. L. EVANS, JR.

MULTIPLE LEVER HINGE.

APPLICATION mzo NOV. 15, 1917.

Patented Feb. 8,1921.

\x \m w//////// WITNESSES ATTORN EY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM LEWIS EVANS, JR, OF WASHINGTON, INDIANA.

MULTIPLE-LEVER HINGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Continuation of application Serial No. 173,358, filed June 7, 1917. This application filed November 15,

' 1917. Serial No. 202,204.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. EVANS, J12, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the county of Daviess and State oflndiana, have invented a new and useful Multiple-Lever Hinge, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to a hinge, and more especially to the class of vanishing. door hinges of the multiple pivot lever type, adaptable for use with wardrobes, telephone booths, lockers, lavatories, cupboards, cabinets, cases, garages, exterior and interior doors for public buildings and residences, steam or street railway cars or the like, their use being unlimited. The subject matter of this application is a continuation of an application filed on or about the 7th day of June, 1917, Serial Number 173,358.

Theprimary object of the invention isthe provision of a hinge of this character wherein single or double doors may be mounted to open and close, either to the rightor left, and when opened vanish within the compartment, booth, etc., thereby minimizing floor space, and avoiding obstructing the aisles or blocking the entrance to the adjoining compartment or booth.

' Another obj ect of the invention is the provision of a hinge of this character, wherein the movable member, such as a door, cannot stick; may be easily opened and closed; will operate without noise, and will not sag.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a hinge of this character which is extremely simple and strong in construction, durable in use andinexpensive to manufacture and install.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, with the further understanding that while the drawings show a practical fornn and the preferred embodiment of the invention, the latter is not confined to any strict conformity with the showing of the drawings, but may be changed and modified, so long as such changes and modifications come within the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings: I

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a telephone booth containing aseries of compartments, showing the doors therefor upon hinges constructed in accordance with the invention, one door being closed, another opened, and the remaining door partially open.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal transverse sectional view thereof.

- Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a locker structure, showing the hinge doors for its compartments in various positions of adj ustment.

Fig. 4 is a horizontaltransverse sectional view thereof showing the steps of movement of the hinge arms or elements progressively from the closed position of the door to its open position, or vice versa.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the base or top bearing 'for one of the hinge arms or members.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of one of the door bearings.

Fig.7 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view showing the door open and the relative position of the hinge arms or members with respect to each other.

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, showing one hinge arm or element in side elevation, with the hearings in section.

FigL9 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal sectional view showing the door closed and the relative position of the arms or elements of the hinge.

Fig; 10 is a diagrammatic view showing by heavy and dotted lines, the paths oi travel of the door and hinge arms or ele-.

ments. respectively, in the opening and closing of the door.

Referring to the drawings in detail, particularly Figs. 1 and 2 thereot,"-A designates generally a telephone booth. of the wellknown construction. having therein a series of compartments B as usual, with an entrance. on opposite sides of which are jamb strips 11 serving as stops for the swinging door 12 when closed. The booth A in this instance, is made up in separable units. each comprising a floor 13', outer side walls 14,

back or rear wall 15, and a top 16 which are connected or joined together in any suitable manner, while the front of said booth is entirely open.

Each door 12 is mounted for movement upon hinges comprising upper and lower pairs of arms or elements C which, as shown, are in the form of double cranks (see Figs. 7 8 and 9 of the drawings), though I desire Patented Feb. 8, 1921.

it understood that this is merely the preferred form of the invention, and that it is susceptible of wide variation. Each arm or element includes a main straight portion 21 and vertically disposed oppositely extending terminal pivot ends 22 and 23, re-i spectively. The door has fixed thereto sleeves or socket bearings 24 formed with base plates 25 (see Fig. 6), having suitable holes for fasteners;to secure the bearings upon the door at its inner side, and provided with closed ends 26 to limit the insertion of the pivot ends 22 in the sockets. The other ivot end 23Iis engaged in a base or top bearing 27 referably formedwith a disklike base (see Fig. 5), and a socket 28 which rotat-ably receives said end 23 therein when the door is hung on the hinges.

The arms or elements C are-pivoted by means of the door bearings 24: to said door 12 on opposite sides of its longitudinal center but nearer to said center than to the side edges of the door, one pair of the arms or,

' extending horizontally from the front to the back of the compartment, which line is substantially parallel with the door when the latter is open, the space between said base and top bearings being shown as less than the space between the'door bearings. This imaglnary straight line is substantially at right angles to the opening which forms the entrance-to the compartment. By this arrangement of the arms or elements, the latter do not assume a parallel position with respect to each other, and each arm or element describes a different are from its fixed center of rotation. This will be made clear upon an examination of Figs. 2, 4 and 10 of the drawings.

at 0) just before the door reaches its open'.

position. The curved heavy line-e indicates the path followed by the central longitudinal axis of the door, "and theheavy line 7 shows the path of movement of the inner edge of the door. This diagram shows that the outer arm or element moves a half revolution and the inner arm or element a quarter revolution in opening and closing the door, and it position does not swing laterally towardthe' center of the booth, and that what lateral movement it has is practically all toward the side of the booth. The result of this is that the size of the booth or compartment may be reduced to the minimum, as allow.- ance does not have to be made for the move,- ment of the door; and moreover, the latter in moving cannot contact with any furniture Within the booth or compartment.

VYhen the door is in its closed pos1t1on,the outer arm or element is about parallel with the door, while the inner arm or element stands out from the door at an angle less than 90 to the door. As the door begins to open, it turns on the outer pivot 22 of the inner arm or element, (the arm or element itself moving very slightly), and swings on the'inner pivot 23 of the oute r arm or element, the latter remaining at this time practically parallel with the door. As the door continues its outward opening movement, the inner arm or element moves very slightly as before, while the outer arm or element not only swings on its inner pivot 23, but turns on the outer pivot 22, this operation continuing for a distance of approximately 45 to 60 of the opening-movement of the door. element begins to move more perceptibly and with increasing speed on its two pivots,

the outer arm or element moving more rapidly, and both arms or elements turning on both pivots. After the outer arm or element has completed half of its movement, the two arms or elements practically move together, the inner arm or element continuing to increase its speed, and both arms or elements turning on both theirv pivots, until finally the armsor elements assume the position shown in Fig. 7 of the drawing, with the door completely open.

In closing the door, the reverse movements take place; that is to say, the two arms or elements turn on both their pivots and move practically at the same speed, the inner arm or element slowing up but slightly until the outer arm or element approaches one-half its movement, whereupon the inner arm or element slows up more perceptibly until its motion is hardly noticeable, with the outer pivot 22 of the inner arm or element contiguous to the inner pivot 23 of the outer arm or element, the outer arm or elefinally; closed, when the two arms or elements assume the position shown in Fig. 9.

It will be noted that when the door is open, the two arms or elements are not parallel with each other, and when the door is From that point, the inner arm or.

ment continuing to turn until the door is closed the outer arm or element is substantially parallel with the door, but the inner arm or element extends out at an angle less than 90 to the outer arm or element.

When the two arms or elements are made of equal length as shown, they never assume a position parallel to each other at any time in the opening and closing movements of the door.

The door 12 in its movements when swung to open and closing positions, has the major portion thereof traveling within the booth or compartment, so as not to project the door to a material extent outside of the booth, thereby reducing the amount of floor space required in the operation of said door.

011 completely opening the door 12, it is well within the compartment B close against one of the side walls, while the outer edge of the door slightly protrudes beyond the entrance or door opening, thus giving a wide and unobstructed range of access to the compartment in the series of units thereof, and

avoiding encroaching upon the adjoining booth or compartment. I

The arms or elements C are shown as of equal length in each pair, and this is the simplest and preferred construction, yet the length thereof may be varied, as the occasion v 31 are constructed identically like the arms or elements C, and are mounted in bearings 32 and 33, respectively, carried by each door and on the floor and ceiling of the locker, said bearings being similar to the bearings hereinbefore described.

While I have herein stated some of the.

uses to which this improved hinge may be put, I wish it understood that the invention is useful wherever it is desired to employ a simple, noiseless hinge for connecting a movable part or member to a fixed part or member.

What is claimed is- 1.A hinge comprising a pair of arms of substantially equal length, and means for pivoting the arms at opposite ends to a movable and a stationary member, the pivoting means being spaced apart on the stationary and movable members, the space between the pivots on the movable member being greater than the space between the pivots on the stationary member.

2. The combination with a stationary member forming an element of a compartment, of a movable member, and a plurality of arms pivoted at their ends to the top and bottom of the stationary and movable members at spaced points thereof, for the swinging of the movable member to open or closed positions relative to said compartment, said arms working in horizontal planes, the pivotal connections of the arms with the stationary member being in line with each other, with said'line disposed at an angle to the movable member when in its closed position, said movable member when open vanishing within said compartment and lying substantially parallel with and close to one side thereof.

3. The combination with a stationary member forming anelement of a compartment, of a movable member, and a plurality of arms pivoted at their ends to the top and bottom of the stationary and movable members at spaced points thereof, for the swinging of the movable member to open or closed positions relative to said compartment, the pivotal connections of the arms with the stationary member being on a line with each other, with said line disposed at an angle to the movable member when in its closed position, and the pivotal connections of the arms with one of said members being spaced apart a greater distance than the pivotal connections of said arms with the other member, said arms operating in horizontal planes, and said movable member when open vanishing within said compartment and lying substantially parallel with and close to one side thereof.

4. The combination with a compartment, of a movable door for closing an entrance thereto, and a pair of arms pivoted at theirextremities to the inside upright face of the door and to the floor or bottom of the compartment, with the pivots on the door .located in a horizontal line on opposite sides of its vertical longitudinal axis but nearer to said axis than to the sides of the door, and the pivots on the fioor or bottom of the compartment located in a horizontal line at different distances from the entrance to the compartment. I

5. A hinge comprising two pairs of arms each pair being located at opposite points of a movable member, and means for pivoting the ends of the arms to the movable member and a stationary member for the swinging of said movable member from an open to a closed position and vice versa, the pivots being spaced apart on said members so that when the movable member is closed the outer pivot ofone arm is contiguous to the inner pivot of the other arm with the two arms standing at less than a right angle to each other.

6. The combination with a compartment,

of a movable door for closing an entrance thereto, and a pair of pivoted arms constituting the hinge for said door, sa1d arms being arranged at the bottom of the compartone'pair at each end of the door member,

' ing integral pivot ends, andtwo socket members, one pair fastene horizontal portion a main substantially aving oppositely extending integral pivot ends, and socket members respectively fastened to the same face of the door member remote from the edges thereof and to the top and bottom of the compartment, said socket'members receiving said pivot'ends for pivotally connecting the door member to the compartment, and being spaced apart in line with each other on the door member and along the top and bottom of the compartment respectively, the spacing of the; socket members along the bottom of the compartment bein at different distances from the opening 0 said compartment, said members holding the arms away from the faceof the door and away from the top and bottom of the compartment, each pair of arms swinging in the same horizontal plane respectively above and below the lower and upper edges of the oor.

8. The combination with a compartment having a door member for closing an opening to said compartment, of a hinge for the door member comprising a pair of arms, each arm consisting of a main substantially horizontal portion with oppositely extendairs of to the same face of the door member remote from the edges thereof at the bottom and the other pair secured to the bottom of the compartment, said socket members receiving each arm comprisin said pivot ends for pivotally connecting the door memberto the compartment and being spaced apart in line with each other on the door member and along the bottom of the compartment respectively, the spacin of the socket members along the bottom 0 the compartment being at different distances from the opening of said compartment, said socket members holding the arms away from the face of the door and from the bottom of the compartment, and said arms swinging in the same horizontal plane above the bottom of the compartment.

9. The combination with a stationary v movable member to travel with said elenients in different paths of movement for bringing the movable member in either its open or closed positions at substantially right angles to each other; 7 v

10. The combination with movable and stationary members, of a hinge comprising a pair of arms independently pivoted to said members at spaced points, the pivotal connections, Withthe movable member being located on opposite sides of its longitudinal axis, but nearer to said axis than to the side edges of the movable member, and spaced apart greater than the spaces between the pivotal connections with the stationary member, .to permit the movable member to turn on the pivots of the arms and also swing the arms for bringing the movable member in its open and closed positions.

11. The combination with a compartment,

of a movable member, and a plurality ofarms pivoted at their ends to the bottom and top of the compartment and member at spaced points thereof, for the swinging of the member to open or closed positions relative to the compartment, the pivotal connections of the arms with the compartment bein in line with each other and said line bemg substantially parallel with one position of the door, said member when open vanishing within' said compartment and lying contiguous to one side thereof.

12. The combination with movable and stationary members, of pairs of arms of substantially equal length at opposite ends of said movable member, and means for pivotally connectin the arms at one end to the stationary mem er and at their other end to the movable member for the swinging of the movable member to positions at substantially right angles to each other, one of the arms moving substantially a half revolution while the other moves substantially a quarter revolution in the swinging of said member to such positions, the arms at all periods of their movement remaining out of parallelism with each other.

13. The combination with movable and stationary members, of pairs of arms at opposite ends of said movable member, and means for independently pivoting the arms at one end to spaced points of the stationary member, and at the other end to spaced points of the movable member, the spacing of the pivotal connections on the movable member being farther apart than the spacing of the pivotal connections on the stationary member, the movable member traveling around with said arms, and also independently thereof from one position to'another, the pivots on the stationary member member comprising a plurality of'arms of nearly the same length arranged in pairs at the top and bottom of the door member and pivoted at their extremities to fixed points of the compartment and the door member respectively for the swinging of the door ,member to positions at substantially rightangles to each other in opening and closing the same, said arms moving with increasing and decreasing speeds relatively to each other, one of the arms moving substantially a half revolution, while the other moves substantially a quarter revolution in the swinging of said door member to said positions, whereby the door member when opened will be caused to vanish within the compartment. 15. The combination with a compartment and a door member, of a hinge for the door member comprising a plurality of arms arranged in pairs at'the top and bottom of the door member, and pivoted at their extremities to fixed points of the compartment and the door member respectively, for the swinging of the door member to-open and close an opening of said compartment, the pivotal connections of the arms to the door member being applied to the face thereof at opposite sides of the vertical longitudinal center, the pivotal connections of the arms with the compartment being in alinement with each other and in the same horizontal plane and substantially at right angles to the opening of said compartment, one of the arms being movable substantially a half revolution, while the other moves substantially a quarter revolution in the swinging of the door member to said positions, whereby the door member when opened will be caused to vanish within the compartment.

16. The combination with a stationary member forming an element of a compartment, of a movable member for closing an opening or entrance to said compartment, and a plurality of arms pivoted at one of their ends to the 'face of the movable member and at their other ends to the said stationary member, the pivotal connections with said members being spaced apart and the arms working in horizontal planes,,the pivotal connections of the arms with the stationary membcr being disposed on a line with each other at different distances from the entrance or opening of said compartment, said movable member when open vanishing within said compartment and being substantially parallel with and close to one side of said compartment; and at substantially right angles to said entrance or opening.

17. The combination with a compartment having a door member, of a hinge for the door member comprising two pairs of arms, and means for independently pivoting each pair to the top,and bottom of the compartment and to the door member respectively, the pivotal connections to the compartment being spaced apart and extended at different distances from the front of the compartment, so that a line connecting the pivotal connections is substantially parallel with the door member in one of its positions, while the pivotal connections of the arms to the door member are located on opposite sides of the vertical longitudinal center of the door and at a greater distance apart than the space between the pivotal connections to the compartment, whereby when the door is closed, the pivotal connection of one of the arms to the door is located contiguous to the pivotal connection of the other arm with the compartment.

18. Meansfor hingedly connecting a movable member to a fixed member so as to permit the movement of the former from one position to another, comprising two pairs of arms or elements of substantially equal length, one pair at each end of the-movable member, means for independently pivoting the ends of each arm or element to the movable and fixed members respectively, the pivotal connections with the movable member being spaced apart a greater distance than the space between the pivotal connections of said arms or elements to the fixed member, the last-named connections being in line with each other with such line substantially parallel with the movable member when in one of its positions and substantially at right angles with the movable member when in another of its positions.-

19. Means for hingedly connecting a doormember to a compartment. comprising two pairs of arms or elements ot ,substantiallyequal length, one pair at each end of the movable member, means for independently pivoting the opposite ends of each arm or element to the door member and compartment respectively, said pivoting means being spaced apart, the space sepa+ ratmg'th'e pivoting means on the door memand each working in the same horizontal plane, the pivotal connections of the said elements with the floor of the compartment being spaced inwardly at different distances from the o ening and also spaced from the walls of said compartment, and the pivotal connections of the said elements with the door member being spaced apart on said member, whereby the, door when opened will becaused to vanish within the compartment.

21. The combination with a compartment having an opening, of a door member for closing said opening, meansfor pivotally connecting said door member to said compartment, said means comprising two pairs of pivoted arms, one pair at the top and the other at the bottom of the door member, said arms bein pivoted at one of their ends to the top an bottom of the compartment and at the other of their ends to the same face of the door member, the pivotal connections of the arms to the top and bottom of the compartment being spaced inwardly at different distances from said opening 1n a line which is substantially at right angles with said opening and also spaced from the walls of the compartment and from each other, and the pivotal connections of the arms to said door member being also spaced apart thereon.

22. The combination with a compartment having an opening, of a door member for closing said opening, means for pivotally connecting said door member to said. com

partment so as to swing from the open to the closed positions, said means comprising two pairs of pivoted arms, one pair at each end of said member, each pair working in the same horizontal lane, said arms being pivoted .at one of t eir ends to the door "fixed point in the compartment member and at the-other of their ends to a the pivotal connections of the arms with the compartment being spaced apart from each other and from the walls of the compartment and also spaced inwardly at different distances from said opening, and the pivotal connections of the arms with the door member being spaced apart greater than the space separating the pivotal connections of the arms with the compartment.

23. The combination with a compartment having three .walls and an opening at the other wall, of a door member for closing said opening, means for pivotally connecting said member to said compartment, said means comprising two pairs of pivoted arms, one pair at the top and the other at the bottom of the door member, said arms being pivoted at one of their ends to the top and bottom of the compartment and at the other of their ends to the door member,

-the pivotal connections of the arms to the top and bottom of the compartment being in horizontal line with each other and spaced inwardly at difi'erent distances from the said opening, the pivotal connection of one of the arms with the compartment being lo cated contiguous to the pivotal connection of the companion arm with the door mem her when the latter is in its closed position with the two arms standing at less than ri ht'angles to each other.

n testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM LEWIS EVANS, JR.

7 \Vitnesses:

RALPH G. BUHLEY, MILTON N. SIMON. 

